Plate cleaner



April 19, 1932. sc JR 1,854,229

' PLATE CLEANER Filed July 30, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gmlor a, WwW

awn/wags April 19, 1932.. F, SCHE R 1,854,229

PLATE CLEANER Filed July 3 0, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UN'E'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILATE CLEANER Application filed July 30,

' This invention relates to plate cleaners,

and more especially to a device for removing and preventing accumulations of bagassillo in the juice pans or troughs of cane mills or the like.

The usual cane mill is provided with one or more crushers, in which cane is crushed and disintegrated, followed by a tandem of threeroll mills in which the cane is heavily pressed to remove the juices therefrom, the cane being subjected to the action of macerating agents after eachpressing'operation in order to absorb and wash out the juices. Beneath the three-roll mills, there are usually '15 provided relatively deep juice pans which catch and collect the juices as they are expressed by the mills and conduct the juices to troughs through which hey pass to strainers which remove particles of bagasse or foreign materials. In the usual mill, considerable amounts of bagasse particles accumulate in the pans and troughs through defective turnplates, rolls, etc., necessitating the constant removal thereof, y manual labor, in order to permit'the juices to pass readily to the strainers.

An object of the present invention'is to bring about an arrangement in acane millv in which the use of hand labor for removing bagasse particles from pans and troughs is obviated.

A further object of the invention is to bring about an arrangement in a cane mill in which means is provided for constantly removing any bagasse particles adhering to the pans or troughs and returning these particles constantly and in an evenly distributed manner to the mills.

In a more specific aspect, it is an object of the invention to bring about an arrangement in a cane mill in which bagasse particles tending to collect in juice pans or trougl'is may be constantly flushed therefrom by the juice passing to the strainers.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a three 1928. Serial No. 296,330.

roll mill provided with a juice pan, in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 56 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a juice pan, in accordance with my invention, and the means for removing bagasse particles adhering thereto. o'O

Referring to the drawings in which I have illustrated my invention by showing a preferred embodiment thereof, the reference numeral 10 indicates in general athree roll mill comprising the usual housings 1 1 in which are mounted cane roll 12, bagasse roll l3, and-top roll 14., which maybe ofany usual or preferred type, and mounted in suitable-or usual bearings. M

Adjacent and above cane roll 12 is a corn '7' veyor 15 provided with the 'usualcarrierbe'lt 16 and adapted to deliver cane to the cane and top rolls 12 and I l, subsequent to'which the cane passes over the turnplate 17 and between top roll 14 and bagas-se rol l 1?),Wl16-I-6 7 it is heavily pressed and considerable of the juice extracted therefrom.

Between the housings 11- and below rolls 12,

13 and 14- is a juicepan in the form of ap'late 18, provided with .side walls 19 and 20, plate B0 '18 sloping downwardly towards trough 21, through which the juices pass on their way to a strainer usually provided to remove the bagasse particles therefrom, the strainer not being: shown, however, herein.

the usual mill, particles of 'b'agasse or bagassillo are deposited on the usual deep juice pans or other means provided for catching the juices extracted from the cane. .This accumulation of bagassil'lo usually results from worn turnplates, or roll grooving, and necessitates the constant attention of as many as four men per mill tandem, in order that it may be removed and :returnedto the mills for proper disposition. At times this accumulation is so great as to require that the operation of the mill as a whole be stopped until the bagassillo is removed.

The present invention differs from the prior art in that herein means is provided forconstantly flushing the pans and troughs in order to remove particles of bagasse, which as a result do not accumulate but constantly pass back to the mill in an evenly distributed manner. In place of the usual juice pans, the pan of the present invention is substantially flat, as shown in the drawings, and arranged at either end of plate 18 are shafts 22 and 23, each having a. plurality of sprockets 24 mounted thereon, on which are received endless chains 25 to which are secured parallel sweeps or slats 26.

The sprocket shafts may be driven in any suitable manner, as, for example, shaft 23 may be provided with a driving sprocket 27 connected by means of chain 28 to sprocket 29 on shaft 30 of roll 12. The sprockets on shafts 22 and 28 are spaced from the upper surface of plate 18 a suitable distance such that the bottom edges of the sweeps or slats 26 ride on this surface, as shown particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

In operation, the sprockets are driven in the direction indicated by arrows in the drawings, with the result that the sweeps are constantly moved across the upper surface of the plate 18 towards the trough 21. The juice and bagasse particles which drop from the adjacent parts of the mill are trapped between the adjacent sweeps or slats and moved towards the trough until a sweep or slat reaches the trough 21, as in Fig. 4:, and moves out of contact with the plate 18, whereupon the juice and bagasse particles held between this slat and the succeeding one are released and flow into the trough 21. By trapping the juices between the slats sufficient liquid is always present to flush the surfaces of plate 18 and passes into trough 21 in sufficient quantity to flush the latter as well.

It will be readily understood from the above description of the nature of my invention and the preferred means for carrying it out that I have provided an arrangement wherein the use of manual labor found necessary for the removal of accumulations of bagassillo from the usual mill is dispensed with, and in which the bagassillo is returned constantly and evenly to the mills with the result that there is a decrease in the amount of inversion across the mills.

WVhile I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is not to be limited to all the details shown but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a cane mill, juice expressing means, imperforate means below the juice expressing means on which the juice is received as expressed, and means for trapping juice in said receiving means and releasing the juice thercfrom periodically.

2. In a cane mill, juice expressing means, imperforate means for receiving juice as it is discharged from the juice expressing means, means for conducting juice from said receiving means to another part of the mill, and means for trapping juice on said receiving means, moving the trapped juice along said receiving means and releasing it into the conducting means.

3. In a cane mill, juice expressing means, means for receiving juice from the juice expressing means and conducting it to another part of the mill, said receiving means comprising a relatively flat imperforate pan mounted below the expressing means and sloping downwardly towards the conducting means, and means for trapping juice in said pan and releasing it periodically into the conducting means.

4. In a cane mill, juice expressing means, imperforate means mounted beneath the expressing means for receiving juice from the juice expressing means and conducting it to another part of the mill, and means for trapping juice in said receiving means and releasing it periodically into the conducting means, said last named means comprising a plurality of sweeps, and means for moving said sweeps successively along the receiving means.

5. In combination, a three-roll mill, an imperforate juice pan mounted below said mill and having a substantially flat upper surface, a trough adjacent one end of said pan, a pair of spaced shafts mounted above said pan, correspondingly arranged sprockets on said shafts, endless chains passing from one shaft to the other and received on said sprockets, one of said shafts being arranged adjacent said trough, and spaced sweeps on said chains.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of July, 1928.

FREDERICK SCHERR, JR. 

